When Things Get Rough
by TongTong3
Summary: This is my revision on Hotel Tango. The two groups find out quickly that they are not alone. Jackson/Melissa,Nathan/Daley,Eric/Taylor. Please Read and Review! :
1. Chapter 1

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 1

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 1

At the campground

Daley sat at the far side of the beach. Her eyes drooped, saddened from the group's split. This was her place to think and sort out her thoughts. She was the leader so she had to be strong for everyone, especially Lex. Everything was so empty and quiet without the others. She missed everyone, even Eric and Abby. _Did they make it to the North Shore? Did they find the others? Are we alone?_ This thought scared her alone. She didn't want to think about. A group of murderers was not her ideal guests, especially when you're alone on an unknown island.

Daley heard the rustle of footsteps coming towards her. Daley didn't even turn. She knew who it was. Nathan sat next her. He was always there. They both stared at the rush of the waves hitting the sandy beach. It was a long and peaceful silence as they enjoyed each other's company. Nathan was surprised when Daley leaned on his shoulder. It felt comfortable. Nathan leaned in too. This made Daley smile. He was always there.

In the Jungle

It had been a tiring day of travelling. No one knew how long or how much they walked but, they collapsed as soon as they finished setting up camp. They feasted on bountiful fruit and then retired to their sleeping bags. Melissa was talking in her sleep and screamed the words "no" and "Jackson" numerous times. Jackson heard her and saw her having a bad dream. She was in a horrible state. She was tossing and turning and sweating all over. He shook her awake, crying her name. She finally did wake up and embraced Jackson, crying on his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair.

"I saw you die. I saw you killed. These men-," Melissa whimpered.

"Sssshhh, it was just a dream," Jackson said.

"Please, don't leave me," Melissa whispered.

"I'm here," Jackson said, still stroking her soft hair. Melissa was fast asleep but, he didn't let go. They were still in each other's arms.

"I'm here," Jackson repeated, quieter this time.


	2. Chapter 2

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 2

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 2

Back at Camp

Taylor sat near the fire pit. She was starting up the fire, by pretending she was playing her cello back home. She must've gone into some kind of trance that Daley had to shake her. Taylor broke out of her reverie and turned to Daley.

"You okay?" Daley asked.

"Just thinking," Taylor said simply.

"You know if you need to talk, I'll be here," Daley said.

"Thanks, I'm fine, really," Taylor said. Daley nodded and left the fire pit to resume her duties.

Taylor returned back to her thoughts. She missed them. She didn't want them to leave but, as soon as Abby came back, everything changed. Her cold presence and rebellious attitude caused a schism between the groups. Now, they're gone and she may never see them ever again. She may never see Eric again.

Back to the Jungle

"Rise and shine sleepy heads!" Eric said, with a humorous smile plastered on his face.

Jackson and Melissa awoke to find each other in each other's arms. Jackson was lying down with an arm wrapped around Melissa. Melissa, on the other hand, was almost completely on Jackson. They both stood up and blushed like crazy.

"Did something happen?" Abby said, with her arms crossed.

"No, nothing happened. I just had a bad dream," Melissa said.

"We can't afford any attachments right now," Abby said, with an authoritative tone.

"Look, nothing happened," Jackson said.

"It sure looks like something _did_ happen," Eric said, chuckling. Eric received an evil glare from Jackson.

They continued travelling on and the whole situation was forgotten. It had been hours of walking. Abby would always walk in front with a determined look on her face. Eric would be closely behind, chattering away. Jackson and Melissa would walk closely together, sometimes engaging in small talk. Their feet began to hurt and Eric's complaining began to grow.

"Okay, stop. We need a break," Eric said, collapsing on a log and taking a swig of water.

"No, we need to keep going. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can find the others," Abby said.

"We may not have to look very hard," Jackson said, looking at an old building structure. The others turn and see it too.

"What is it?" Melissa asked. No one answered.


	3. Chapter 3

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 3

Near unknown building structure

"Come on, let's go," Jackson said, walking towards the worn-down building. Melissa pulled his arm to stop him.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. We don't know what's in there," Melissa said, worried.

"Well, we need to find the others and that building has answers," Abby said, as she walked slowly to the building. The others quietly, followed. The building had numerous holes and cracks all over. It looked very old and dirty. Abby saw a fire pit and felt the warmth of the dirt.

"It's warm. Someone was here not long ago," she stated. Everyone exchanged worried looks. They entered the building through one of the doorways. Inside was just as ugly and old as the outside. The floor was pure dirt. The walls were scraped and cracked. The room was almost empty with only a few objects. Many of them were old relics. In one of the adjoining rooms, a bunch of bags were piled up. Jackson opened one of the bags and grabbed a handful of white powder that was inside.

"This is cocaine," Jackson said, showing the others.

"How would you know?" Eric said.

"Trust me; I've been around this stuff. Its cocaine," Jackson assured them.

"Yes, it is," a voice said. Everyone turned to see a man leaning on the doorway with a gun in his hand. His eyes travelled to each one of them and then to the cocaine in Jackson's hand.

The man continued, "You kids shouldn't be here. You're trespassing on private property."

"We are so sorry. It won't happen again. We'll just be out of your hair," Eric said, trying to walk away. The man blocked his path and Eric backed away.

"Oh, but you just got here. Forgive me, for my manners, I'm Langston and you are?" said the man. The kids gave their names, nervously. When he heard Melissa's name, he gave a wicked grin.

"Aw Melissa, what a beautiful name to match with such a beautiful girl," Langston replied, looking at Melissa. Melissa didn't smile. She was too scared to even move.

"Now, tell me, why have you come to my humble abode?" Langston asked, keeping his evil grin, plastered on his face.

"We've come to find our missing friends," Abby replied, nervously. Langston's smile quickly disappeared. His expression was replaced with anger. Without warning, he grabbed Melissa and placed the mouth of his gun to her temple.

"Are there more of you?!" Langston asked, pressing the gun harder to her head. This made her wince and tears began to run down her eyes.

"Let her go, okay. We don't want any problems," Jackson said, worried for Melissa.

"Well, you gotta problem kid and if you don't answer my questions, I'll blow her brains out!" Langston said, forcing the gun even harder on Melissa.

"We crashed a month ago and ten of them are back at camp. They're adults," Eric said, weakly. Abby gave him a slightly surprised look but, tried her best to conceal it. Langston saw this and gave a warning shot near Eric's head. Eric was so scared and slightly jumped.

Langston gave a sadistic grin, "I hate liars. When you decide to confess, I'll let Melissa go. Petro, Gibbs, take our guests to their chambers where the can get comfortable." Langston turned still holding Melissa tightly and lead her way. Melissa struggled to break free but, he was too strong. Two men appeared, both of them burly, in front of the doorway. They reached out to grab the Jackson, Abby, and Eric. A cry was heard from Melissa, and Jackson attempted to run to her aid. Instead, Jackson was given a roundhouse kick to the stomach. Jackson knelt over in pain. The three of them were escorted, nonetheless, to a bolted room. They were thrown in as soon as the door was unlocked. They got up to see Jory and Ian sitting down. Abby ran to hug them both and Jackson and Eric gave acknowledged nods.

"What happened? Are you guys okay?" Abby said, looking relieved that they had found them.

"Well, we never found the North Shore. This island is bigger than we thought. After the storm, we made it back here, only to find that we had company and we've been imprisoned here ever since," Jory said.

"Is there any way that we can escape?" Eric asked, still a little shaken from his near death experience.

"I don't know. We don't even want to try after-," Jory said, stopping herself and as tears began to cascade down her face.

"What happened, Jory?" Abby said, softly.

"After they killed Captain Russell," Jory continued.

**A/N: Hope you liked it. The faster you guys review the faster I update! I'm stuck on what to do with the Nathan, Daley, Taylor, and Lex scenario. Give me some feedback and ideas on that! **


	4. Chapter 4

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 4

Back at camp

Lex felt a great sense of accomplishment. Just after a few days of working, he had a made a signal light. This would be great to signal passing ships. He showed his new creation to the others but, they seemed less than enthusiastic. He understood. After the split, no one seemed to really care anymore. Daley talked less and seemed to disappear for a while only to come back to do her chores in silence. Nathan was trying to keep everyone together and to perform all his tasks. Nathan was extremely tired at the end of the day and he never seemed to get any rest. Taylor was the only person that Lex could confide in but, she would lose focus often and forget what she was doing or where she was. However, Lex was by himself most of the time. He fixed or took things apart to keep himself busy. It was a good distraction and it benefited others when he came up with new gadgets to use.

Lex was sitting outside next to the signal light. Nathan was making a lot of noise inside the tent. Maybe, he was having a bad dream, so Lex decided to go outside and gaze at the starry sky. He began to pin point constellations and make up new ones. Then, he spotted something that caught his full attention. He saw a bright light past by in the dark sky. He concluded it was a communications satellite. He began to brainstorm. There must be something I can do, so that satellite can see us, he thought. He turned and stared at his signal light. His face lit up at the thought. He turned the light upwards so it was facing the sky. It was a big risk to use the light in such a way. He wasn't even sure if the satellite would be able to see the light. It was a chance he would have to take. Satisfied, Lex returned to the tent and settled into his sleeping bag.

Lex was at the point of sleeping when a panicked feeling erupted in him. Lex shot open his eyes. He couldn't explain it but, he had a feeling that his friends were in great pain. He shook those thoughts out of his head and tried to go back to sleep, but those thoughts didn't leave his dreams.

Inside the old building

"What? Captain Russell is dead? This can't be true!" Abby said, welling up with tears.

Ian spoke slowly as if he didn't want to hear his own words, "It's true. After the storm, he became very sick. He was hallucinating and having delusions. His mind was gone. He tried escaping but, he was caught. Langston spared him no mercy. He put him down like an animal." Ian looked down and Jory began to sob. Abby hugged her tightly and they both cried together. Eventually, all of them fell asleep with deep remorse.

The next morning, they woke up with a small light shining through their small window. It was an unpleasant and uncomfortable night. Jackson and Eric would have chosen to sleep in the plane, any day.

A rattle was heard from the door and it opened to reveal Langston with Petro and Gibbs behind him. Before anyone could react, Jackson lunged at him and began to throw punches at him. Gibbs and Petro stopped him, holding him by his arms. Langston got up and composed himself. The rest of the prisoners were dead silent.

"Where's Melissa?" Jackson said, angrily, trying to break free. Langston smirked and gave a powerful punch to Jackson's gut. Jackson winced in pain.

"Where are your manners, Jackson?" Langston said.

Jackson wheezed, "What did you do to her, you bastard?" Jackson received another punch to the gut.

"Well, a bit hasty now, are we? Gibbs, Petro, take him to his dear Melissa," Langston said. Petro and Gibbs smiled and dragged Jackson to another room.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Eric said, angrily. Langston turned around and aimed his gun at Eric's forehead.

"You better watch it, all of you, or you're dead," Langston said, giving them a deadly stare. Langston put his gun away and exited the room, locking the door behind him. Eric started pacing around the room. The others just looked at him in confusion. Then, Eric eyed the window and then at the tattered blankets. His face lit up.

"Guys, I have an idea," Eric said, looking at Abby, Jory, and Ian.

Inside an unknown room

Jackson was thrown in another room. He opened his eyes slowly. He saw Melissa at the center of the room, unconscious. She was tied up in a chair and her head drooped. He ran over to her and inspected her face. She had a small bruise on her right cheek and a small cut on her left arm. It was obvious that she underwent a traumatizing interrogation. He shook her slightly and called her name until she awoke.

"Jackson, you're okay," Melissa said, giving him a weak smile. Jackson smiled back. Langston entered in with a blade in his hand.

"Well, well, the two lovebirds," Langston said, "Now I need some answers, Jackson. Your girlfriend has a strong spirit. She wouldn't answer any of my questions despite me torturing her."

"You bastard!" Jackson shouted as he lunged at Langston, once again. Langston was fast this time and dodged Jackson's attack and pressed the knife to Melissa's neck. Jackson turned around in surprise.

"If you ever try doing that again, I'll slice her throat. Now, let's begin the interrogation, shall we? Jackson you must answer my questions, truthfully, or I'll make a cut on her arm. And I'll make sure it stings," Langston threatened, pulling Melissa's hair. She winced in pain. Jackson could only nod.

"How did you end up on this island?"

"Don't tell him anything, Jackson!" Melissa said. Langston pulled her hair harder and made a small cut on her arm. Melissa screamed.

"Stop! Our plane crashed a month ago," Jackson answered, quickly.

"Good, are there others?"

"Yes," Jackson said, he was sickened by his betrayal.

"How many?"

"Four."

"Kids?"

"Yes."

"Any means of transportation?"

"No."

"Supplies?"

"Yes."

"Good, you were very cooperative. You just needed a little push. Now, I must attend to other matters and maybe I'll give your friends a visit." Langston exited the room. After he left, Jackson quickly untied Melissa. Once she was released, she collapsed in his arms.

"You shouldn't have done that. Now, he'll go after the others," Melissa said, struggling to keep her eyes open. Jackson felt horrible. He had betrayed his friends and now they could be in mortal danger.

"I know," Jackson said, sadly.

**A/N: Thanks for your feedback. Keep sending those reviews because I love them! If you have any other suggestions to the story just let me know! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 5

In cell room

"That's crazy! What happens if you get caught?" Ian said, in disbelief.

"Then, I'm caught but, we need to do something or they'll eventually kill all of us. There's probably I high chance that Jackson spilled the beans, already. So we should probably do this," Eric said.

"Why you, maybe, I should go," Abby insisted.

"No, I know my way back, and I'm a cross-country runner after all," Eric said, with a small smile.

"Alright, if we're going to do this, we better do it now. He could be back any minute now," Jory said.

"Okay, Jory and Abby, you guys tie those blankets like a rope. Make sure they are really tight or I could break my leg," Eric said. Jory and Abby did as they were told and soon they made a long makeshift rope. Ian and Eric were practicing standing on each other's shoulders.

"Won't you need any supplies?" Abby asked.

"No, those will only slow me down. I need to get there as fast as I can."

"At least bring a water bottle to avoid dehydration," Jory suggested, handing Eric a filled water bottle.

"What about you guys?" Eric said, putting the water bottle in his large pocket.

"You're going to need it more than us. Besides, Langston gives us some water every two times a day. We'll be fine," Ian said.

"Okay, let's do it," Abby said. Everyone took their places. Ian would be at the bottom holding up Abby. She would be carrying the rope in one hand, while holding up Eric on her shoulders. Jory would be at the bottom with Ian to keep the human column in balance and catch anyone if they fall.

There were several mistakes and the human column would crumble. Only a few injuries were made. Finally, the human column was stable and Eric was able to climb out through the high window with the other end of the makeshift rope in his hand. Abby held on to the rope tightly as Eric descended down the other end of the rope, safely.

"Good to go," Eric whispered, when his feet were planted on the ground.

Abby also made it safely down pulling the rope with her and Ian massaged his sore shoulders.

"Be careful," Abby whispered. Eric smiled at the comment.

"Always," Eric whispered back and took off into the jungle, running at the speed of light.

The first day of travelling was tougher than he thought. Eric became sore from all the running. He wasn't used to it but, that didn't stop him. He needed to get there. He needed to get their fast. His friends' lives depended on it.

The first night was the worst. He ate a small banana from a nearby tree. Eric gobbled it, hungrily, and savored every bite. He settled down under a tree. He couldn't sleep despite how exhausted he was. He would have recurring thoughts of the others in danger and Langston's demonic-like face. When he did, manage to fall asleep, he woke up a few hours later when the sun rose.

The second day began with a sip of water. His water was running dangerously low and he had to save the rest for when he really needed it. He jogged for about a few hours until, it was unbearable. His feet were burning from the pain. Eric sat down on a nearby log and inspected his feet. There were numerous blisters on his feet. Eric took off his shirt and ripped it to shreds. He rapped the thin material around his feet and put his shoes back on. His feet felt a little better and continued jogging at a slower pace.

He decided to travel along the shore so he could find the campground. It was hot and Eric could feel a sunburn on his shoulders. Eric gazed at the cool water and was tempted to jump in. He drank the last of his water but, he thirsted for more. He was walking, to tired to run any longer. Hours past, and he began to think that he would never find them but, then he spotted something. It was very distant yet, it looked so real. He saw the camp but, he was unsure if it was just a mirage. Then he saw Taylor running towards him, and he was sure it was a mirage. He collapsed in the water from exhaustion but, little did he know that Taylor wasn't a mirage.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! I'll try to make the chapters longer but, this just seemes like a good place to end this chapter. Keep sending those reviews because I love the feedback. If you have any suggestions for the story, please feel free to tell me what you think should happen next!**


	6. Chapter 6

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 6

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 6

It was noon, when the day was the hottest. Taylor was boiling the water that Nathan had brought in. Nathan was walking back in forth collecting water from the well. Daley was collecting fruit from the forest and Lex was trying to fish.

Taylor was in deep thought as always. She was thinking about Eric, again. She thought about Eric a lot. It wasn't something she was aware of, but her thoughts just drifted to him often. Sometimes, there were silly fantasies or the replay of their sad parting. These thoughts were rarely present when Eric was around, but ever since he left she thought about him more than ever. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a figure walking closer to the camp.

She stood up and walked a little closer to see who this mysterious person was. As the figure became closer, she recognized who it was. It was Eric. A small smile appeared on her lips. She took off and ran towards him but, when she was about halfway to him, he collapsed into the ocean water. Her smile disappeared and panic erupted in her body. She took her pace into a sprint and ran to Eric. She checked to hear if he was breathing and to her relief he was but, it was faint and slow.

"Eric, Eric, can hear me?" Taylor said, trying to hold back the tears. Eric didn't answer with eyes still closed.

"Nathan!" Taylor screamed at the top of her lungs. She began to cry as she held up Eric's head. Nathan came running to Taylor. Daley and Lex followed. They were all shocked. They acted fast and carried Eric's limp body to the tent.

Once they were in the tent, Daley checked the medical book and Nathan was rummaging in the first aid bag.

"He's dehydrated. We need to pump in a lot of fluids into him," Lex said. Taylor ran back out with a filled water bottle in her hand, trying to feed it to Eric. Eric wasn't swallowing.

"Eric, you need to drink this. It'll help you," Taylor said, sobbing a little. Somehow, hearing those words, Eric began to drink the water. Taylor smiled and stroked his hair. He drank all of the water from the water bottle.

"He's exhausted, we should leave him to rest," Nathan said, leading Daley and Lex out of the tent. Nathan turned to Taylor, who was still sitting beside Eric.

"Can I stay with him?" Taylor asked. Nathan nodded, understanding, and exited the tent.

Taylor laid down next to Eric. This was the first time in a very long time that she had been this close to him. He was fast asleep and you could hear a soft snore. She smiled at this. She to, fell asleep, finally at peace.

It was until, a few hours later, that Eric woke up with a jolt, waking up Taylor in the process. Eric began to pant really loud and he looked around his surroundings.

"Eric, what's wrong?" Taylor said rubbing her eyes.

"We need to get out of here, now," Eric said, frantically.

"Why, what's going on?" Taylor said, concerned.

"There's no time to explain. We need to leave," Eric said, standing up and exiting the tent. Taylor was confused and scared at the same time. She stood up and followed Eric out. When she came out of the tent, there was Daley, Nathan, and Lex held at gun point by an unknown man.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here. Eric, my friend, how did you get here?" Langston asked, with his all-knowing smirk.

"I walked," Eric said. Langston laughed.

"So it seems, and who's your friend there?" Langston asked, eyeing Taylor.

Eric didn't answer and Taylor grew very nervous. Eric took Taylor's hand. Langston smirked and pointed the gun at Taylor's head.

"I've already gotten acquainted with the others. What's your name, dear?"

"T-T-Taylor," Taylor stuttered.

"Good. Petro, raid their supplies and then…burn this place down," Langston said. Everyone gasped and Petro smiled obeying his master's orders.

"You can't do that! We worked so hard to build this place. This is our only chance of being rescued!" Daley said, panicked. Nathan tried to get her to sit down, but Daley ignored him.

"Just watch me. Do you think I want you guys getting rescued? I need this drug smuggling operation to stay in secrecy. Now, I suggest you sit down and do as you're told," Langston said, pointing the gun at Daley's head. Nathan and Lex tensed. Daley sat back down. Eric eyed Nathan and Nathan gave a small nod, acknowledging him. Eric nodded back. They knew what the other was thinking. Suddenly, Eric let go of Taylor's hand and jumped on Langston's back and poked his eyes, while Nathan grabbed Langston's gun hand and forced it upwards. Nathan began to pull the trigger until all the bullets were gone. Langston screamed in anger, trying to tear Eric off his back.

"Run!" Eric yelled as he jumped off Langston's back and took Taylor by the arm and they both ran away. Nathan was able to land a punch into Langston's face before, Daley, Lex, and him, took off.

The two parties took off in their own directions and into the unknown jungle, not wanting to look back.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long, but this chapter for me was the most difficult to write. Hopefully, you liked and please, oh, please send me more reviews because it gets me inspired to write faster! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 7

Back at old building

"Arrrrghhhh," Jackson shouted, as he threw objects around the room, enraged. Melissa stood there shaking from Jackson's rampage. He slammed his clenched fists on the wooden table. She slowly walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him down. Jackson seemed to ease under her gentle touch.

"Jackson, please," Melissa said, on the brink of tears. He turned to her, his face still stern. Melissa pulled Jackson into an embrace. He was shocked at first but, returned the hug. Their embrace was so warm and gentle, but it was like a lover's embrace. Jackson slightly moved from their embrace and looked deep into Melissa's eyes. She met his gaze, as if it was an electric pull. His face neared closer to hers until finally his lips met hers. Their kiss was passionate yet sweet and kind. They parted quickly after and smiles were plastered on their faces. Suddenly, a loud scream was heard, and the two were thrown out of their trance. They both turned to the direction of the sound.

"It's Abby, they're in trouble," Melissa said, pulling the door handle with no success.

"We need to get out, now. They're going to kill us after they find the others," Jackson said, rummaging through the objects. Melissa began to do the same.

"What are we doing?" Melissa said, confused. Jackson didn't answer; instead he picked up the chair that Melissa was previously sitting in. He began to break off the legs of the chair. Melissa stopped and understood what his plan was. When Jackson finished breaking off the chair legs, he took when leg in his hand and looked at Melissa.

"We're going to need a diversion," Jackson said. Melissa nodded and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Gibbs opened the door to see Melissa on the floor, screaming. Gibbs ran to her, cussing up a storm, and raised his hand to strike her. However, Gibbs was given a hard WHACK! on the head. His eyes shot upwards and his eyes closed as he keeled over with a large thump on the ground. Melissa sighed and gave a hard kick to Gibbs' ribs. Melissa rummaged through Gibbs' pockets to find a set of keys. Jackson and Melissa ran out of the room and to the cell door. Melissa quickly found the key and unlocked the door to find Abby, Jory, and an unconscious Ian. Abby and Jory looked up in relief.

Melissa ran up to Ian's body and said, "What happened?"

"Gibbs got angry when he found out Eric was gone. He punished Ian for it," Abby said.

"Where did Eric go?" Jackson said.

"He managed to escape and is going to warn the others," Jory said.

"Out of all the people here, you chose Eric?" Jackson said.

"He was the best choice. He knew the way back best and he is a cross-country runner. That is not fair to be like that towards him, especially now," Abby said.

"I wasn't trying to be-," Jackson said, trying to defend himself. Melissa butted in to stop an argument from happening.

"This is not helping. We need to work together. There are drug smugglers here that are not afraid to kill us. The last thing we need is a stupid argument to tear us apart. Eric is probably at camp with the others already. Langston and Petro are probably not far behind. So we need a plan to save them. It's up to us now," Melissa said.

"She's right. This isn't working. We can't argue anymore," Abby agreed. Jackson nodded.

"We need to get back to the camp, fast," Jackson said. Jory's eyes lit up.

"I've got an idea," Jory said as she rushed outside the building. Jackson and Melissa followed her while Abby stayed with Ian. Jory walked up to a huge shed and she pulled the large door apart to reveal an old army jeep. Jackson and Melissa were in shock and excitement.

"That might work," Jackson said, smiling.

**A/N: I'm so sorry it took me this long to upload you guys! I've been on vacation. I loved all the reviews still keep it coming and I'll try and update as fast as I can. **


	8. Chapter 8

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 8

Somewhere in the jungle

Nathan, Daley, and Lex quickly ran through the jungle. They didn't dare to look back. Lex's pace began to slow down so Nathan picked him up and carried him. Daley walked closely beside them. The sun was setting now, and the shadows begin to take over the jungle floor.

They stopped by a river to rest and drink. Lex was sleeping now, leaning up against a tree. Nathan was setting up the fire and Daley sat by the river in deep thought. Nathan and Daley gave silent looks at each other. Nathan walked over to her, concerned.

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked.

She turned away from him and stared at her reflection in the river. "It's my fault that we're in this mess." Nathan looked at her in shock.

"You didn't start this. This isn't your fault," Nathan replied.

"But it is. If it wasn't for me, we would still be together and none of this would've happened," Daley said, as her eyes began to well up with tears. Nathan shook his head in disbelief as Daley began to sob quietly.

"If it weren't for you, we would've been separated earlier. If it weren't for your democracy we would've gotten into a lot more arguments. You're the one that has kept us together for so long. In fact, you saved us and if you weren't here right now, I wouldn't have gotten to know you," Nathan said, slightly blushing. Daley began to calm down and she stared at him intently. Nathan felt slightly awkward and began to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Daley smiled and took Nathan by surprise by giving him a kiss on his lips. Their kiss was sweet and tender but, was quickly interrupted by a cough from Lex. The two turned to see Lex wide awake and staring at them, questionably. The two leaped away from each other in embarrassment and tried to muster up an excuse for their actions.

Somewhere in the opposite side of the jungle

"Okay, stop, my legs feel like they're on fire," Taylor said, collapsing on a rock. She began to massage her tired legs. Eric, on the other hand, wanted to continue forward.

"Taylor, we've got to keep moving or we'll get caught," Eric said, urgently.

"Eric, we've obviously lost them and I think we're lost," Taylor said, still massaging her sore legs.

"We're not lost. I know exactly where we are," Eric exclaimed.

"Where are we then?" Taylor asked.

"We are in…" Eric said, looking around his surroundings.

"…the middle of nowhere! Admit Eric, we're lost and not only that they're some crazy people out there trying to kill us!" Taylor yelled, standing up and walking towards Eric. "Not only that," she continued, "we have no clothes, food, or sh-OOOF." Taylor had tripped and landed with a THUD. Eric couldn't help but, laugh. Taylor got up and gave Eric a scowl.

"That's not funny! I tripped over something really hard!" Taylor said, looking for what had tripped her. She turned to find a metal handle slightly poking out from the ground's surface. She looked at curiously as began to wipe away the dirt from the medal handle. Eric stopped laughing and walked over to Taylor to look at the peculiar handle.

"What is it?" Taylor asked.

"I don't know," Eric said as he wrapped his hand around the handle and pulled hard. The handle was apparently connected to a hatch that opened up to an underground room. Eric and Taylor looked at each other in shock and peered down into the mysterious underground room. There was a ladder that leads into the room and the two teens curiously went down the ladder into the mysterious bunker not knowing what surprises awaited.

**A/N: Sorry it's short but, I thought this was a good place to end this chapter. The next chapter will hopefully be longer and more exciting. Thank you for the reviews and the support. It is very appreciated. Keep the reviews coming because I love the feedback. Hopefully, I'll be able to update faster next time. Thanks, Chao!**


	9. Chapter 9

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 9

Near the shore

Jackson, Melissa, Abby, Jory, and Ian were riding on the speedy and ancient army jeep. It was a miracle that it still worked and that it was already filled with gasoline. Jackson was behind the wheel as Melissa sat next to him, assisting in navigation. Jory, Abby, and Ian sat in the back camo-covered section. They were stocked with food and water to last the trip back to camp. Though the jeep had uplifted their spirits, all of them worried for others and their well-being.

"Gross, it still smells like cocaine back here," Abby said, plugging her nose. Apparently, this jeep was previously used for cocaine transport.

"It's better than dealing with psycho-Langston and his two goons," Ian said.

"I'll say," Jory said, nodding her head in agreement.

"Do you think the others are okay?" Abby said, with a serious expression on her face.

"I don't know," Jory said, looking down, her smile disappearing.

"I think they're just fine and in no time we'll be around the campfire cooking hot smores," Ian said, with a smile on his face.

"I wish I had your optimism," Abby said. They both exchanged smiles. The five sat in silence dreaming of returning to camp and eating smores. Most of all, they dreamed that they would see the hopeful faces of the friends back at camp. However, their delightful dreaming was put to a halt when Jory spoke.

"Hey, do you guys smell that? It smells like smoke," Jory said, sniffing.

Everyone in the car started sniffing and then a scream was emitted from Melissa. The car immediately stopped suddenly and it lurched forward sending the backseat passengers forward.

"What's going on?" Abby said. They all quickly got out of the car and turned to see the horror that lay before them. From a distance, you could see flames engulfing where the camp once stood.

Melissa let out a shout as tears ran through cheeks. She started running to the camp with Jackson chasing her.

"NO! NATHAN! DALEY! LEX! ERIC! TAYLOR!" Melissa screamed. Jackson caught her in his arms. Melissa tried to break free of him screaming the names again. Jackson brought her in an embrace to calm her down. Melissa accepted his embraced as she cried hysterically. Ian, Abby, and Jory silently cried because they knew that their dreams had gone up in smokes.

Near the river

"I think we should go back," Daley said, looking into the forest.

"Are you crazy? We could get killed going back. They're hunting for us and they won't stop until all of us are dead," Nathan said, looking at her in disbelief.

"I don't know. I just have a feeling that we should go back," Daley replied.

"I think Days right. It's much safer if we don't stay in the same place for a long time. It's a little risky but, he will find us eventually," Lex said, slightly frightened.

"No! Day, I don't want to lose you or Lex," Nathan said, taking Daley's hands into his. Daley smiled and blushed.

"I know you don't but, if the others are still alive they will come to camp. I need to see them again and I know you want to too," Daley reasoned. Nathan let out a sigh in defeat.

"Fine, but you have to let me protect you," Nathan said, nearing toward her face.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Daley said kissing him on the lips.

"Hey! What about me?" Lex exclaimed.

"Of course, Lex. How could we forget about you?" Nathan said as he picked up Lex.


	10. Chapter 10

Flight 29 Down: Chapter 10

Underground

"This is really spooky. Eric, I'm scared. I can't see you!" Taylor yelped as she entered the darkened depths of the mysterious bunker.

"I'm right here, Taylor. Let me just look for some matches or something," Eric said, as he rummaged blindly around the room. Taylor unconsciously began rubbing her arms to rid the goose bumps that had spontaneously appeared. After just a few seconds, Eric shouted in triumph.

"I think I found some matches," Eric said, and with a simple flick, a small light emitted from the tip of the match. "Ah, much better. Let's see what we got here…hmmm," Eric said jubilantly, as he scanned the room. It was old. It was probably used in the war. There were shelves upon shelves of old weapons and ammunitions.

"Wow, do you think this stuff still works? It looks so old," Taylor asked, with curiosity dancing in her eyes.

"I don't know but, just be careful where you step in touch. This is like a minefield," Eric said as he spied an old lantern and lit it up with his wearing match. Eric's eyes widened in amazement that the lantern still had a little bit of oil left.

"Do you think Langston knows about this place?" Taylor asked, her smile turning into a quivering frown.

"I don't think so. It's so dusty and well-stocked. If Langdon knew about this place, it would've been cleaned out by now," Eric said, giving Taylor an assuring smile. Taylor weakly, smiled back. They continued to look around the small bunker to find an army backpack, grenades, firearms, ammunition and knives.

"We should use these to help the others. My dad taught me how to shoot and maybe this is just the thing we need to stop Langdon and save the others," Taylor said picking up a pistol.

"Taylor, this is serious. We can't use guns. Someone can die from these," Eric said, shocked at the thought.

"Eric, this is our only hope to take back the island. Langdon is eventually going to kill all of us. I don't want to kill anyone either but we need this stuff for protection or we're all dead!" Taylor shouted, as she crumpled on to the hard and cold floor. Eric softened his face and sat next to Taylor, who was sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Taylor looked up at Eric and Eric slowly wiped her tears away.

"It's okay to be afraid. You don't have to be strong and I promise you that I won't let anything happen to you," Eric said softly, and placed a small kiss on Taylor's lips. And as the two leaned into to each other, the lamp flickered off and they were once again, enveloped into darkness.

Near the shore

Melissa was still wiping her tears away as she gathered what was left of camp. The fire was finally out and only had done minimal damage. Luckily, the fire had not consumed the entire campsite but, the shelter was utterly in ashes. The plane was amazingly intact and only slightly scorched on the side. The tired teens had put out the remaining fire with dirt and water. Melissa had managed to salvage the first aid kit, and she let out a repressed sigh. It was the only symbol of hope she could find and she was relieved she wasn't fishing out a corpse. The others were cleaning and salvaging with heavy hearts. Jackson walked up to the troubled Melissa carrying the video camera.

"Hey look, what I found," Jackson said, trying to sound enthusiastic. Melissa glanced briefly at the video camera and turned back to the ashes.

"That's great," Melissa said, forcing a small smile on her face. Jackson knew how she was feeling and with his hand he caressed her tears away. She smiled and stepped closer to him, meeting his gaze.

"I know this may not be the best time to tell you but, I love you. You are the most wonderful person I have ever met in my life. You make me want to be better. You are so sweet, smart, and beautiful. Life without you is unfathomable," Jackson said, and sighed as if a great weight was lifted off his shoulders. Melissa's eyes widened but then she smiled.

"I love you, too. I've always loved you," Melissa said, as she roughly grabbed the sides of Jackson's face and met her lips with his. Jackson kissed her back while wrapping his arms around her waist as Melissa tangled her fingers with his brown locks.

"And I thought romance was dead," a menacing voice said. The two lovers turned around to see Langdon with his infamous smirk and a pistol in his hand. Jackson immediately got Melissa behind his back, protectively.

"Ah, that is so sweet. She is a pearl, Jackson. You are very lucky," Langdon said.

"What do you want? You've already taken our home and our friends," Jackson growled.

"What do I want? What do I want?! What I want is your head on a platter for overpowering my wingman and punching me in the nose!" Landon spat as he aimed the pistol and unlocking the safety. Jackson and Melissa tensed with fear.

"It was fun while it lasted," Landon said as he pulled the trigger. It was so fast. Before Jackson knew what was happening, he was pushed to the floor and a scream was heard.

He quickly got up to see Melissa on the sandy ground, bleeding.

**A/N: A thousand pardons! But I finally got around to updating! It was the reviews that kept me goin'! Sorry again you guys but keep the feedback coming and I'll have the next chapter up soon. _Hopefully. (sigh)_**


End file.
